This invention relates to images displayed by a computer, and more particularly, to a method and system for automatically displaying dynamic images on a display device as a sequence of still frames arranged in a predetermined order.
Video displays on a display device of a computer connected to the Internet often cause accessibility problems for viewers. Incoming dynamic video displays have a predetermined frame speed. When a video frame with a predetermined speed is displayed on a displaying system, and the predetermined speed is independent of the displaying system, a viewer may not be able to read text after a certain point in frame speed is reached in the display of the video frames. Problems also occur when animated file formats are used. One type of animated file format is the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) developed by CompuServ and used for transmitting faster images on the Internet. Another animated file format is Flash which is a vector graphics file developed by Macromedia to enable designers to add animation and interactivity to multimedia Web pages. In fact, any system that displays time varying imagery will have similar accessibility problems.
One method of dealing with the problem of text displayed in time varying imagery is to freeze a frame by disabling the animation software. However, displaying frozen frames one by one is not the most accessible solution because very quick reflexes are required to freeze a frame. Another method is to slow the speed of the video presentation; however, a slow speed video presentation is not always adequate for accessibility purposes. For example, a slow speed video presentation is not adequate when a printout of a dynamic image is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,056, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and System for Video Browsing on the World Wide Web,xe2x80x9d describes a system and method for supporting video browsing over a communication network. U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,664, entitled xe2x80x9cEnhanced Video Programming Method for Incorporating and Displaying Retrieved Integrated Internet Information Segments,xe2x80x9d describes a system for integrating video programming with the information resources of the Internet. U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,410, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and System for Presenting Customized Advertizing to a User on the World Wide Web,xe2x80x9d describes a customized advertising repository server connected on the World Wide Web (WWW) which can be accessed by a registered user through his or her browser either by clicking on an icon, or by inputting the specific URL address of the particular server which stored that user""s advertising repository.
Accordingly, a need exists for a way to provide user control of time varying imagery. A further need exists for a way to display static images from a dynamic display by displaying the static images according to a predetermined order or relationship, such as side by side on a screen.
A method for automatically displaying dynamic images as a sequence of still frames is disclosed. The method includes receiving dynamic image data, transforming the dynamic image data into static image data, and displaying, frame by frame, the static image data on a display device. The method may be employed in a computer, a computer network or a system which has a display information card having at least a port for receiving the dynamic image data, a processor for transforming the dynamic image data into static image data, an internal memory for storing the static image data, and a display device. In the preferred embodiment, the method is employed in a web browser.